Kids on the John Muir Trail

My wife, Kathleen, and I hiked a portion of the John Muir Trail in the summer of 2007. I am a huge fan of hiking with your spouse, but that’s not what this post is about. Instead, I’d like to describe one of the many memorable experiences we had on the trail.

It was June 22nd at about 9:30 in the morning. We had camped at the southern end of Lyell Canyon the night before, and had just reached the top of Donohue Pass. We shed our backpacks and were resting our weary legs when we saw a group of hikers coming from the opposite direction.

There were three: two men, who appeared to be in their mid-thirties, and a young boy we would later learn was twelve-years-old. I’m afraid neither of us can recall the young man’s trail name. I seem to remember it was a synonym for “rascal”, while Kathleen thinks it was a synonym for “impatient”. In the fifteen minutes we spent with him, either would have fit.

As we talked to the group, the young, impatient, rascal was almost vibrating in place—about to burst with some inner energy. He wore on his face this look of anticipation, seemingly hanging on every word, waiting for us to finally get around to asking the magic question.

“How far are you going today?”

One of the older men mentioned stopping in Tuolumne Meadow for cheeseburgers, and then pressing on.

“Where are you heading past Tuolumne?”

At last the boy’s eyes lit up. He flung his arms in the air and shouted, “Canada!”

Neither of us will ever forget him. His enthusiasm was infectious, his confidence high, and his pack rode lightly on his shoulders. And this wasn’t merely beginning-of-the-trip excitement. Donohue Pass is almost halfway through the state of California; it’s a long, long way from the Mexican border near Campo, where they had begun months earlier.

To this day we wonder if he made it all the way. We hope so, but, regardless, we’re sure he stepped off the trail a different kid than the one who stepped on it. If our young rascal had been a company, I would have bought stock in him on that very day.

Unfortunately, far too few kids get the experience of long distance hiking. While planning an assault on the PCT—and getting the time off to do it—is practically impossible for most people, I can think of no better alternative than the John Muir Trial.

At a little more than 200 miles it is just about the perfect distance: long enough to seem impossible for young hikers, and short enough to be doable. The weather is usually benign in July, August and September.

The fauna is as benign as the weather. There are mountain lions, but there are no recorded mountain lion attacks against people on the trail, and the bears are more interested in your trial mix than you. A grizzly bear hasn’t roamed the Sierra Nevada for nearly one hundred years. If you are foolish enough to hike early in the season the mosquitoes may exsanguinate you, but even that is avoidable with a little repellent.

There are few, if any, navigational challenges, and the trail is generally uncrowded—without being totally deserted. In short, you are unlikely to get yourself in trouble, and if you do, someone will probably come along to help out.

Introducing young people to the wilderness is hardly a new idea. A fellow by the name of John Muir may have put it best:

Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.

18 Comments

My wife and I are taking our kids next year, they will be 15 and 12 when we go, I cannot wait. I hiked it solo last year, but next will be great because I will be able to share the experience with my family. Thanks for the post.

Good for them, I have a 1 1/2 year old boy, and while not of hiking age yet, he has a few camping trips under his belt already. Looking forward to when he grows up to start doing some short trips. Weaver Lake is a great place to take young kids starting out, only a few miles but plenty of up and down and to a kid they may as well have hiked the whole JMT.

Thanks for the comment, Dan. I’ve often said that one of the greatest turning points in any young person’s life is when he or she accomplishes something they were sure they couldn’t do. Hiking is a perfect way to achieve just that. For those readers wondering where Weaver Lake is, check out here: http://goo.gl/maps/prnJB.

What an inspiring article! I have dreams of thru hiking the AT (perhaps even next year) with my 4 year old (she will be 5 then). I also have a 9yo who does not find interest in this so I’ve considered his spending the season with his grandpa and uncle while I attempt it. It is still in the dreaming/preplanning stages, but I’ve thought that this year, since we will be moving back to CA, I may give the JMT a try and see how we do! We’ve done some weekend trips and I’ve done some solo 3-day trips, but the kids have never done more than 12 in a weekend. I thought this might be an amazing experience for us all, and also a good assessment to see if we are ready for one of the longer thru-hikes! Any other links or info anyone has, I would love to check out so please share! Thanks again 🙂